A buyer’s companion · free to download
You have two or three listings open, the same reference at three prices, and a feeling that one of them is right. This is the checklist for that moment. It’s four printable pages, built for buyers comparing pre-owned watches, handbags and jewelry, and meant to sit beside the listings while you decide.
No single detail proves a piece genuine. Good counterfeits pass several checks, so the list asks you to look for many details agreeing, and it leaves the final word to someone who can hold the piece.
What’s inside
- Watches, Rolex first: serial and reference, the rehaut engraving, the crown, bracelet and clasp codes, the movement, papers and service history.
- Handbags from Hermès, Chanel and Louis Vuitton: stitching, blind stamps, serial stickers, date codes and the newer microchips, hardware, heat stamps and leather.
- Jewelry from Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Tiffany & Co.: hallmarks, serials, weight, clasps and certificates.
- The seller: return windows, authentication guarantees, third-party checks and a quick price sanity test.
- A side-by-side grid for up to three listings, plus five questions to send a seller, word for word.
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A few checks to start with
Ask for the serial, privately. A good seller will share it, along with clear photos of it and of the papers, and the two should match. On a modern Rolex, the serial is engraved on the rehaut, the inner ring at 6 o’clock.
Treat papers as supporting evidence. Warranty cards, authenticity cards, boxes and dust bags can all be bought on their own. They should agree with the piece, but they don’t prove it.
Read the return policy before the description. Look for a written return window that covers authenticity, and a seller who welcomes an independent inspection.
Let pressure be the red flag. The whole check takes about ten minutes, so when a piece checks out, you can buy it before someone else does.
Where to read further
For more on papers and what a full set really proves, read Rolex box and papers. On what service history should look like, see servicing a Rolex. The houses themselves are covered in the watches guide, the handbags worth knowing, the jewelry worth knowing and the maisons.
This checklist is a guide to the right questions, not an authentication service. Details vary by year and model, and houses change their methods. Finely Owned is independent and isn’t affiliated with any brand mentioned.